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Report: Miami Dolphins adding another team legend to coaching staff

Patrick Surtain Al Diaz-Miami Herald

The Miami Dolphins are reportedly hiring team legend Patrick Surtain as a defensive assistant. He will be working with the team’s defensive backs.

Surtain, who spent the first seven years of his NFL career in Miami, is a three-time Pro Bowler. All of his Pro Bowl appearances came as a member of the Dolphins, who drafted him in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft.

After seven years with the Dolphins, Surtain played the final four years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.

This is a huge addition for first-year head coach Mike McDaniel, as Surtain should help the team’s secondary in the 2022 season.

The Dolphins already have some great pieces in the secondary with Jevon Holland, Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, and Surtain should help unlock more potential within the unit. Surtain, whose son plays for the Denver Broncos, will likely be a key voice on defense for the Dolphins through the 2022 campaign.

Over his 11-year career, Surtain compiled 547 combined tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 37 interceptions and two defensive touchdowns. From the 2002 season through the 2004 season for the Dolphins, Surtain picked off 17 passes and made three straight Pro Bowls.

The Dolphins struggled out of the gate in the 2021 season, as they went just 1-7 through their first eight games before turning things around with a seven-game winning streak. The team fell short of reaching the postseason.

Now that McDaniel is leading the coaching staff, Miami is looking to tap into some of the franchise’s history to lead the team back to the playoffs.